Lots of new information-- and requests

As we get more organized, the needs of Katrina victims in the Chattanooga area are clarified. Here's what I got from the VOAD meeting yesterday:

• about 500 people are here, evacuated from the Gulf Coast. About 100 remain in the 2 Chattanooga shelters. We don't expect any more huge influxes of people.
• Shelters will hopefully close by the end of the week, next week at the latest.
• The non-shelter evacuees are what they're calling "self-sheltered," meaning they're staying in hotels, apartments, or with friends or family.
• Everyone needs to be registered with FEMA in order for financial resources to be made available to them and to the community organizations that assist them.
• about 100 evacuated children have enrolled in Hamilton County public schools.

Okay, so what does that mean to the churches? What can we do now, and in the future, to help people in the disaster?

1. Two warehouses are loaded with donations-- one at CHA on Holtzclaw, and one on Appling Street, off Amnicola Hwy. The Appling warehouse needs a volunteer manager for the next 2-4 weeks, full time. If someone with management skills in your church could take this on, please contact United Way/211. Diane Collins would probably be the one to talk to.

2. The warehouses, especially Appling, is still accepting donations of all kinds of household goods. Everything is needed except clothing. They also need volunteers to truck stuff around, to sort donations, to organize stuff, to help clients, to answer phones and to do paperwork. Please call 211 if you can help.

3. Interfaith Hospitality Network is full to overflowing-- they have a waiting list of 17 families, which is unheard of for them. They desperately need churches who host to take an extra week between now and the end of October. If you don't normally host, but would be willing to do so just this once, I'm sure they would love your help and would be able to orient you to the program. Rivermont, Northside and Northminster are regular hosts-- perhaps you could offer to assist one of them with an extra week if you can't do it yourself. I know Northminster would like to do it, but we definitely need help from other churches. If you can help IHN, please call Mary Ellen Galloway at 756-3891.

4.Kids enrolled in school still need supplies and backpacks. Please contact Cynthia Blakemore if you can help here. 867-6200. She can get them distributed.

5. The Chattanooga Area Food Bank very much needs diapers and dry food like pasta, rice, beans , etc. They don't need cereal. The Food Bank is helping about 500 more people than usual these days.

6. VOAD and the Emergency Management people are considering trying to match up families with churches to act as sort of a connection/companion over an extended period of time as people get back on their feet, especially if they're staying in the Chattanooga area. Stay tuned for more info on this, if your church might be willing to be involved in this way. No details have been worked out so far.

Thank you for reading all this information-- I know we're all busy right now doing what we can. Please feel free to contact me (Becky Downs, 894-3773) or Mark (400-9685) if you have more questions, suggestions, thoughts, or comments. Or leave a comment here; I'll get it soon.